An effect from an inert substance that causes symptoms of ill health because of the patients' beliefs: Dr. Thomposon told Jane that she evidently experienced a nocebo effect because of her negative expectations of the treatment which caused a more negative result than otherwise would have been..

The term nocebo; Latin for "I will harm", was chosen by Walter Kennedy, in 1961, to indicate the counterpart of one of the more recent applications of the term "placebo" which means, "I will please", namely that of a placebo being a drug that apparently produced a beneficial, healthy, pleasant, or desirable consequence in a subject, as a direct result of that subject's beliefs and expectations.